Glossary

Ceramic brakes*

Audi ceramic brakes offer outstanding deceleration rates, long service life and sporty looks.

The braking performance of Audi ceramic brakes is not reduced even after frequent braking, when driving down a mountain pass, for example. Resistance to fading – the significant deterioration in performance after repeated braking – is far more superior to that of other types of brake. The reduction in unsprung rotating masses by around 20 kilograms or 50 percent compared with conventional brake discs results in noticeably improved handling and agility. The high abrasion resistance of ceramic discs means that they will last for up to 300,000 kilometres. Their extreme surface hardness also means the brake discs are resistant to solid and liquid road salts, and unsusceptible to corrosion and rust.

Audi ceramic brake discs are made from carbon fibre-reinforced ceramic. The basic constituent of this material – known as composite ceramic – is the very hard and abrasion-resistant silicon carbide. High-strength carbon fibres are embedded in it, and these effectively absorb the stresses arising in the material. Under extreme conditions such as heat or wet, composite ceramic guarantees a stable coefficient of friction. Although a ceramic brake disc absorbs heat more quickly than a steel brake disc, it is also able to disperse it much more quickly. A consistently high braking performance is therefore guaranteed.